Record selecting and ejecting device



Jan. 30, 1951 P. E. WILLIAMS RECORD SELECTING AND EJECTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 21, 1945 21a Eng/Yams Patented Jan. 30, 1951 RECORD SELECTING AND EJECTING DEVICE Paul E. Williams, Millvilie, N. J., assignor of onehalf to George Albert Wagner, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application December 21, 1945, Serial No. 636,392

My invention relates to cabinets for containing phonograph disc records and comprises means to operate a movable element, containing a list of record titles, in order to locate for visual inspection a selected title, means to move an elector 1 into position to eject selected records, manually operable means to simultaneously operate both the movable element and the ejector so as to 6 Claims. (Cl. 312-19) automatically move the ejector into position to eject the selected record, and manually operable means to operate the positioned ejector.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cabinet with records installed therein.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of mechanism for effecting the series of operations above described.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a modified record ejector.

Fig. 4 is a detail View of a modified means controlling the return of the record ejecting means to normal position.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View through a corner of the cabinet on the line 55 of Fig. 3, with the records removed for clearness.

The cabinet a may be of ordinary construction with only such modification as may be required to adapt it to operate the mechanism embodying my invention. It may be divided into upper and lower compartments divided by a partition H I constituting a floor on which such mechanism is mounted. The records it? are supported in the usual manner on rods l2 which may be supported in sockets in members as connected to the inner faces of the sides of the cabinet a. The sides of the cabinet may be provided with conventional members such as 22 between the members 20 and having spaced slots for positioning the records at predetermined positions, while extensions 22 of such members may be formed on the lower portions of the inner faces of the covers [3 to increase the length of the slots, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, o any other well known supporting and spacing means may be provided.

A screw-threaded shaft 0 supported by and turnable in bearings 19 has an extension d, which, through bevel gears c and f, shaft g, and bevel gears h and 2', all within the cabinet, is in driving connection with a shaft extending through the casing carrying a knob 70 outside of the casing.

On the screw 0 is a nut n having therein a slot through which extends a longitudinally extending rod 0, forming one side of a rectangular shaped frame in, which is pivotally supported at opposite ends n a le bars 1 Turning of knob 70 rotates the screw c; and the nut n thereon, being prevented from turning by the rod e, is fed along the shaft 0.

Bevel gear 2 meshes with a bevel gear g on a shaft carrying a roller or pulley t, around which and three other rollers or pulleys s, r and u, eX-

.tends an endless belt z.

On this endless belt are printed or otherwise applied the titles of the various records arranged in the same order in which the records are arranged in the cabinet. In the turning of the knob R: the belt 2 moves so as to successively expose to View, through the opening 1) in the cabinet, the titles of the records. When the belt is moved to bring any title thereon into alignment with the opening 1), the nut 12 is moved to a position beneath the corresponding record.

The nut 12 has in its upper end a recess containing a vertically slidable record ejector 112, which rests on the rod 0. The slide ejector w aligns with and just clears the lower edge of any record which overlies the nut 11. Extending upward from one arm of the pivoted frame m is a rod cc carrying at its upper end a push button 1; in alignment with a hole in the cabinet.

After the knob is is turned into position to expose to view a given title, thereby moving the slide w into register with the corresponding record, the push button 1/ is pressed down, thereby swinging the frame m on its axis, and lifting the rod 0 of the frame, which in turn lifts the ejecting slide w, thereby lifting the selected record to such height above the other records as enables the selected record to be withdrawn from the rack by hand. When the record is returned to the rack and is moved down into horizontal alignment with the other records, it will depress the slide to, swinging back the frame and lifting the push button y, to its normal position. It is preferable, however, to swing the frame m back to normal position by means of a light spring M, which will so function as soon as the pressure on the push button is released. Thereby it is insured that the slide 10, in its movement along the screw 0, will clear the lower edges of the records in the cabinet under which the slide moves. With this arrangement, however, the rod 0 should extend through a hole in the slide w. Instead of returning the swinging frame n to normal position by means of a spring M, a spring may be applied to the push button y, as, for example, a coil spring 15 may surround the rod :1: and be confined between the push button and an angle bar is secured to the frame of the cabinet.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification wherein the rod extends under the slide 111, which is normally held down, in position to clear the records, by means of springs ll secured at their upper ends to the slide in and at their lower ends to the nut n. As soon as a record is withdrawn and the push button 2 released, the springs i1 depress the slide and return the swinging frame m to normal position. Without returning the withdrawn record, the knob is may then be turned to position the nut 11. and slide 20 for the withdrawal of any one of the other records.

All of the actuating mechanism is within the cabinet, with the exception of the knob 7c and push button 1 which is exposed through an open ing in the cabinet to permit the button to be pushed from the exterior thereof.

Slidable inside the opposing longitudinally extending walls of the cabinet are boards i3 which may be withdrawn and utilized as covers for the cabinet.

The invention is, of course, applicable to the selection of records other than phonograph records.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A disc record selecting and ejecting device comprising a cabinet having means therein to support and position records arranged in a given order, a driving pulley and a series of idle pulleys, an endless belt engaging said pulleys and adapted to contain a list of record titles in an order corresponding to the arrangement of records in the cabinet, the cabinet having an opening, a screw threaded shaft, a nut thereon movable along the shaft in its rotation, mechanism adapted to rotate the shaft and simultaneously turn the driving pulley to move the belt so as to bring any given title thereon into alignment with said opening, a record ejector carried by the nut and adapted to be moved in the movement of the nut into alignment with a record corresponding to the title visible through said opening, a push button, and means operable by the push button to actuate the positioned ejector.

2. A disc record selecting and ejecting device comprising a cabinet having means therein to support and position records arranged in a given order, a traveling element adapted to contain a list of record titles in an order corresponding to the arrangement of records in the cabinet, a screw threaded shaft, a nut thereon movable along the shaft in its rotation, mechanism adapted to rotate the shaft, other mechanism adapted to move the traveling element so as to seiectively position any given title thereon, manually operable means connected with and adapted to simultaneously operate both mechanisms, a record ejector slidable in the nut and adapted to be moved in the movement of the nut into alignment with a record corresponding to t e selected title, a swingable frame comprising rod extending through a slot in the nut and engaging the ejector and adapted in the swinging movement of said frame to be moved in said slot to thereby move the ejector to effect ejection of the selected record, and a push button adapted to swing said frame into position to so actuate said rod.

3. A disc record selecting and ejecting device comprising a cabinet having means therein to support and position records arranged in a given order, a driving pulley and a series of idler pulleys, an endless belt engaging said pulleys and adapted to contain a list of record titles in an 4 order corresponding to the arrangement of records in the cabinet, the cabinet having an opening through which the titles on the belt may be observed, a screw threaded shaft, a nut thereon, a pivoted frame including a rod extending through a slot in the nut whereby in the rotation of the shaft the nut moves along the shaft, a manually turnable shaft, gearing between the manually turnable shaft and said driving pulley, gearing between the manually turnable shaft and said screw threaded shaft,

whereby the driving pulley and the screw threaded shaft are operable simultaneously, a record ejector slidable in the nut and adapted to be moved in the movement of the nut into alignment with a record corresponding to the selected title, said rod engaging said ejector and adapted in the swinging movement of said frame to be moved in said slot to thereby move the ejector to effect ejection of the selected record, and manually operable means adapted to swing said frame. 4. A disc record selecting and ejecting device comprising a cabinet having means therein to support and position records arranged in a given order, a traveling element adapted to contain a list of record titles in an order corresponding to the arrangement of records in the cabinet, a record ejector, mechanism operable to move said traveling element, mechanism operable to move said ejector into alignment with any one of the records dependent upon the position to which the traveling element has been moved, hand operable means connected with, and adapted to simultaneously operate, said mechanisms, a push button and mechanism operated thereby adapted to actuate the positioned ejector to eject a record aligning therewith; all said mechanisms being enclosed in the cabinet, said cabinet containing three openings across one of which the traveling element is movable to allow observation of the titles thereon, the turnable member extending through another of said openings, and the push button being operable through the remaining opening.

5. A disc record selecting and ejecting device comprising a cabinet having means therein to support and position records arranged in a given order, a traveling element adapted to contain a list of record titles in an order corresponding to the arrangement of records in the cabinet, a screw threaded shaft, a nut thereon movable along the shaft in its rotation, manually operable mechanism adapted to rotate the shaft and simultaneously move the traveling element so as to selectively position any given title thereon, a record ejector slidable in the nut and adapted to be moved in the movement of the nut into alignment with a record corresponding to the selected title, a rod extending through a slot in the nut and engaging the ejector, a push button, mechanism between the push button and the ejector adapted in the manual movement of the push button to move the rod and thereby move the ejector to effect ejection of the selected rec- 0rd, and spring means adapted to hold the ejector from moving into ejecting position except when positively actuated by the push button and adapted to return the ejector to normal position when the push button is released.

6. A disc record selecting and ejecting device comprising a cabinet having means therein to support and position records arranged in a given order, a driving pulley and a series of idle pulleys, an endless belt engaging said pulleys and adapted to contain a list of record titles in an REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name I Date Longford Jan. 12, 1932 Price Aug. 7, 1945 

